Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । मन्मथेशं ततो गच्छेत्सर्वदेवनमस्कृतम् । स्नानमात्रान्नरो राजन्यमलोकं न पश्यति

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | manmatheśaṃ tato gacchetsarvadevanamaskṛtam | snānamātrānnaro rājanyamalokaṃ na paśyati

Translation

മാർക്കണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—പിന്നീട് സർവദേവന്മാരാൽ നമസ്കരിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന മന്മഥേശനിലേക്കു പോകണം. രാജാവേ, അവിടെ സ്നാനം മാത്രം ചെയ്താലും മനുഷ്യൻ യമലോകം കാണുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मन्मथेशम्: Manmatheśa (Lord of Kāma)
• मन्मथेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्मथ (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘मन्मथस्य ईशः’)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Apadana/Sequence (source/sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् इत्यर्थे (then/from there)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्वदेवनमस्कृतम्: revered by all the gods
• सर्वदेवनमस्कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + नमस्कृत (√कृ धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; ‘नमस्’ उपपद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; समासः—तत्पुरुष (उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘देवैः नमस्कृतः’, ‘सर्वदेवैः’ इति करण-बहुवचनार्थः)

• स्नानमात्रात्: from mere bathing alone
• स्नानमात्रात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘स्नानस्य मात्रम्’ = mere bathing)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• यमलोकम्: Yama’s world
• यमलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘यमस्य लोकः’)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक-निपात (negation)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Manmatheśa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍunandana / Pārtha (addressed as ‘rājan’ in the verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king; in the background, a shrine of Manmatheśa by the river, pilgrims bathing; Yama’s dark realm symbolically receding or barred by Śiva’s grace.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Manmatheśa
• Devas
• Yama
• Yamaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage joined with sacred bathing at a divinely honored Śiva-kṣetra is taught as a means to overcome the fear and bondage of death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Manmatheśa/Manmatheśvara, a Śiva site within the Revā Khaṇḍa pilgrimage circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gacchet (visit) and snāna (ritual bathing) at Manmatheśa.